ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · tear · bark · rest · track · wound · mug · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — what's left
  8. track — a path
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rest — a break
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. track — a song
  21. mug — to rob
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com